Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Libya instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 1.2 years longer
In Sao Tome and Principe, the average life expectancy is 70 years (66 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Libya, that number is 71 years (70 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.
see 3.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Libya spends $1,055 as of 2023.
be 87.8% more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Libya, that number is 33.7% of people as of 2024.
be 5.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Sao Tome and Principe has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Libya, it is 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 57.9% more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Libya, the GDP per capita is $6,449 as of 2025.
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Libya, that number is 18.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 21.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 75.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Libya, 59.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 9.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Libya, on the other hand, 7.9 children do as of 2024.
have 41.3% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Libya, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 38.6% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Libya, about 82.0% do as of 2024.
be 23.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 78% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Libya, 96% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.4% more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Libya, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 8.5 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Libya, that number is 1,770 km.
Safety
be 2.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sao Tome and Principe, road accidents kill 11.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Libya, they kill 34.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 51.2% more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Libya has 4.5 as of 2022.
live with 434.6 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Libya withdraws 817% as of 2022.
Environment
be 36.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sao Tome and Principe, air pollution causes 85.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Libya, it causes 54.0 as of 2019.
emit 13.7 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Libya emits 8.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Libya
MORE COMPARISONS
Libya: At a glance
How big is Libya compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.